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Christmas Pinwheels
Festive Christmas Pinwheel cookies are sure to bring holiday cheer. Rolled in sprinkles, these sweet colorful holiday cookies are a jolly treat.
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Fun and festive with a distinctive swirl, Christmas Pinwheel cookies are sure to bring holiday cheer. These deliciously sweet holiday cookies, with their bright red color and rolled in sprinkles, are a sweet treat that looks so jolly on a tray of cookies.
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Christmas Pinwheels
Made by rolling with two colors of dough together, Christmas pinwheels are colorful holiday sugar cookies, rolled in sweet sprinkles for an extra crunch. The mesmerizing treats are an easy must-make recipe for sugar cookie fans.
Perfect for the Christmas season, take these pinwheels to a cookie swap, serve them at a holiday party, or bake a batch for Santa. You can freeze the uncooked log of cookie dough for up to a month before slicing and baking these striking cookies.
Continue the cheery red and white dessert theme with Layered Peppermint Fudge and Red Velvet cookies. Don’t forget a cold glass of milk to wash the cookies down, or how about some frozen hot chocolate.
Christmas Pinwheels Ingredients
- Sugar - granulated sugar
- Butter - salted butter softened
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Baking powder
- Egg
- Flour - all-purpose flour
- Food coloring - red liquid food coloring
You can easily switch the food coloring to a different color to create different patterns for your pinwheel cookies. Use green instead of red, or make cookies with both green and red swirls. You could also use blue to make a wintry theme cookie.
Another way to add color, and a bit of crunch, to these cookies, is by adding sprinkles. Roll the cookie dough log in sprinkles before slicing and baking.
These slice and bake cookies are perfect for the holidays because you can make the pinwheel dough in advance and leave it chilling in the fridge or freeze it for up to a month. These cookies taste best if they are not overcooked, so watch them carefully while they are baking.
How to Make Christmas Pinwheels
FIRST STEP: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Beat the ingredients on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes.
SECOND STEP: Use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and continue mixing until combined.
THIRD STEP: Add the flour and baking powder and mix together on the low setting until no streaks of flour are visible.
FOURTH STEP: Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Divide dough in half and remove ½ of it to a piece of parchment paper. Add the food coloring and almond extract to the remaining dough in the stand mixer bowl and mix together on low speed until the color is uniform.
FIFTH STEP: Divide each half in half so that you have 2 red and 2 dough-colored pieces. Form each piece into its own separate rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
SIXTH STEP: After the dough is finished chilling, remove one piece of dough and roll it out on a piece of parchment paper until it is roughly an 11x7 rectangle. Repeat with all pieces of dough. Trim the edges with a knife so you have straight lines.
SEVENTH STEP: Once all 4 pieces of dough are rolled out, carefully place one red piece on top of the dough colored piece. On the other two pieces, place the red on the bottom.
EIGHTH STEP: Carefully roll each rectangle into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator for an additional 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
NINTH STEP: When ready to bake these cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
TENTH STEP: Remove 1 log from the refrigerator and carefully slice ¼ to ½ inch thick cookies, depending on how thick you want them.
ELEVENTH STEP: Space cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are barely starting to brown on the edges. These cookies taste best if they are not overcooked so watch them carefully.
TWELFTH STEP: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
THIRTEENTH STEP: Repeat steps to finish cooking the remaining log of cookies.
Can I use a different color of food coloring?
Yes, you can easily switch the food coloring to a different color to create different patterns for your pinwheel cookies. Make green swirl cookies or combine red and green together. You could even use blue to make a wintry theme cookie.
What kind of sprinkles should I use?
Roll your pinwheel cookies in nonpareils before baking for some extra crunch and color. You could also use jimmies, sanding sugar, or any other kind of sprinkles.
Can I make pinwheel cookies in advance?
These slice and bake pinwheel cookies can be made in advance. Keep the dough chilling in the fridge or freeze it for up to a month.
How to Store Christmas Pinwheels
IN THE FRIDGE: Store Christmas pinwheel cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies can also be stored in the refrigerator.
IN THE FREEZER: Unbaked cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag, and frozen for up to one month.
Christmas Pinwheels
Festive Christmas Pinwheel cookies are sure to bring holiday cheer. Rolled in sprinkles, these sweet colorful holiday cookies are a jolly treat.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 3 dozen
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon red liquid food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Beat the ingredients on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes
- Use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and continue mixing until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix together on the low setting until no streaks of flour are visible.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Divide dough in half and remove ½ of it to a piece of parchment paper. Add the food coloring and almond extract to the remaining dough in the stand mixer bowl and mix together on low speed until the color is uniform.
- Divide each half in half so that you have 2 red and 2 dough-colored pieces. Form each piece into its own separate rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After the dough is finished chilling, remove one piece of dough and roll it out on a piece of parchment paper until it is roughly an 11x7 rectangle. Repeat with all pieces of dough. Trim the edges with a knife so you have straight lines.
- Once all 4 pieces of dough are rolled out, carefully place one red piece on top of the dough colored piece. On the other two pieces, place the red on the bottom.
- Carefully roll each rectangle into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator for an additional 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to bake these cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Remove 1 log from the refrigerator and carefully slice ¼ to ½ inch thick cookies, depending on how thick you want them.
- Space cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are barely starting to brown on the edges. These cookies taste best if they are not overcooked so watch them carefully.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat steps to finish cooking the remaining log of cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 1348kcal | Carbohydrates: 179g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 565mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 84g | Vitamin A: 1970IU | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 6mg
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